Category Archives: What to Watch

All, Nate TV, WTW8 Miscellaneous

What to Watch 25: Mike Rowe Works

18 October 2018 Nathan Ruffing

Learning from Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe TED Talk December 2008

Click here for the Mike Rowe Works Foundation.

All, Nate TV, WTW4 Historical Context

What to Watch 24: Energy of an Industrialized Society – How Many Joules 3

11 July 2018 Nathan Ruffing

How Many Joules?

2,000 food Calories = 8.4 million joules = approximate energy usage of the human body in one day
One Tesla Model S battery charge ~ 36x this amount
One 2017 Honda Civic gas tank ~ 177x this amount
Typical furnace (100,000 BTU / hr rating) operating for 1 hour ~ 12x this amount
US energy usage per day (referenced in my post here) ~ 33.5 billion x this amount, or ~ 102x the US population*
Global energy usage per day (referenced in my post here) ~ 129 billion x this amount, or ~ 17x the global population*

*Relating the energy consumption of the modern world per person to the energy consumption of just the human body by itself is ambiguous, I realize. However, it puts in context the massive numbers that are constantly thrown around in the media on this subject, and consolidates the hype and various units into one unit.

https://nathanruffing.com/nates-numbers-hub-january-2017/

Start at How Many Joules 1

https://www.unitjuggler.com/energy-conversion.html

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

All, Nate TV, WTW3 Current Events

What to Watch 23: The Tesla “Gigafactory” – How Many Joules 2

4 July 2018 Nathan Ruffing

Tesla’s Introduction Speech to the Gigafactory in Nevada, Elon Musk, 4 September 2014

How Many Joules?

Tesla Model S with large battery pack, 265 mile range = 306 million joules
2017 Honda Civic 12.4 gallon gas tank, (2017 best selling car in US) = 1,490 million joules
Energy from 1 barrel of oil (BOE unit) = 5.86 billion joules

Go to How Many Joules 3

Start at How Many Joules 1

All, Nate TV, WTW2 Current Science and Tech

What to Watch 22: The Lithium-Ion Battery – How Many Joules 1

27 June 2018 Nathan Ruffing

Intro to 18650 Li-ion Cells, by LDSreliance

How Many Joules?

1 Food Calorie (the one on nutrition labels) = 4,180 joules
- Note: 1 food Calorie defined as amount of energy to raise the temperature of 1Kg of water 1°C at sea level
Typical smartphone battery charge: 41,760 joules
One 18650 Li-ion cell: 43,074 joules
1 kBTU = 1.06 million joules
- Note: 1 BTU is defined as the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1°F. 1 kBTU = 1,000 BTU.
- The rating system on appliances that we are familiar with that is shortened to “BTU” is actually BTU or kBTU per hour.
1 Kilowatt-hour = 3.6 million joules
2,000 food Calories = 8.4 million joules
1 gallon of gas equivalent = 120 million joules